To Ashley's House

MATTHEW'S POV

It was nine at night when I returned to the mansion. I was dragging my feet as I went up the stairs, absolutely drained. The events from today sucked all of the energy out of me. I thought the collaboration day would be the most tiring of all, but I was wrong. There was this sudden energy that made me win, the very suspicious librarian, the man in the elevator, and Stacey suddenly waking up. I think those were more eventful than the race I had today.

Almost shedding tears of joy upon seeing my bedroom, I plopped down on my bed, relishing the soft, cold sheets. Before I could get comfortable, I looked down at what I was wearing.

'I should change first.'

Tossing my previous outfit to the side and grabbing whatever clothes in my closet - which was a sleeveless tee and khaki shorts - I could finally sleep. I turned to my side and hugged a pillow. Closing my eyes, I drifted off to dreamland... Almost.

A knocking on my door prevented me from sleeping and slowly taking the drowsiness needed to get some shut-eye. It persisted, even after minutes have passed. At that point, I was growing irritated and the stinging on my lower back wasn't helping at all. I stood up angrily and stomped towards my door.

'Can't I have some peace and quiet for once!?'

I opened my door. "What?"

I immediately felt a tinge of guilt when my eyes landed on Samantha, who was looking up at me in surprise.

"I j-just came to tell you t-that your take-out is i-in the fridge."

You see, I was really tired today and in a bad mood. There were a lot of events that happened with no reasonable explanation for them which took a toll on me. And the stupid rash thingy on my back keeps hurting. It worsened my day.

"Is that all?" The blonde was taken aback by my harsh tone. It was too late when I realized what I had done.

"Y-Yes, sorry for b-bothering you." She quickly turned around after bowing. She scurried down the hallway and entered her room.

I extended my arm, wanting to stop her and apologize. I cursed when the pain in my back forbid me from doing so. I slumped on my doorframe, fatigue consuming me. 

'I just wanna sleep.'

I crawled back to my bed, but my mind kept replaying the talk I had with Samantha. It kept me from sleeping. I messed up big time. Then again... This wasn't the first time it happened. I'm depending on Ashley in helping me with this.

After a few twists and turns and my conscience eating me up, I managed to snooze away.

-

NO ONE'S POV (An hour ago)

A figure exited the hospital, gradually blending into the night, his scar fading with him.

A pair of brown eyes behind thick-rimmed glasses climbed over the school gate, landing on the other side with ease and unseen.

They both fastened their pace until they arrived at an abandoned warehouse. Three silhouettes stood there, waiting.

One perked up once they saw the two approaching. "About time you got here, we were ready to enter without you."

"Silence. I got sidetracked." Another shadow spoke up. "I didn't expect he would be visiting the girl."

"Really? I'm surprised you're still here. I thought you'd be arrested for murder on the spot. You know, after what his... 'father' did to you."

"As if. Humans may be intelligent creatures compared to their kind, but I doubt they'd be able to catch me. Also, don't bring that up. The ruined flesh on my face is enough of a reminder."

"You should still be more careful." A different voice cut in.

"Like I said - I had no idea he would be there. I guess you wouldn't know the feeling since you're always finding ways to stalk him. Follow your own advice, will you?"

A grumble was heard.

"Stop, both of you. Let's report to our boss at once. I can sense his impatience." A feminine tone said.

"Took the words out of my mouth." A comrade of theirs spoke, huffing exasperatedly.

The four of them opened the door to the warehouse, disappearing into the darkness of the building. The lone girl in the group was about to go in as well but stopped in her steps when she spotted a ray of light emitting from the moon. Noticing this, she squinted, a sharp eyebrow raised.

"How daring..."

-

MATTHEW'S POV

It was the weekends, meaning I could sleep in. So, that's what I did.

I didn't want to wake up early, especially since I had nothing to do. I was done packing my things for the trip, no worries there.

I hugged my pillow tighter, appreciating the coldness it brought in contrast to the warm sunshine that intruded from my window. I bathed in pure bliss and had no intention of getting up. That is until a loud knock was heard.

At first, I ignored it. That usually indicates the person doesn't want to interact with you. But whoever was knocking on my door didn't get the hint, even after a few minutes of no acknowledgment of their presence.

I thrashed around my bed, frustrated that my beauty sleep was disturbed. Sitting up and stretching, I glanced at the clock. It was quarter to noon.

'Hm, have I really slept that long? It didn't feel like it.'

I slowly sauntered to my door and swung it open. Rubbing my eyes, my voice cracked as I yawned. "What is it?"

"Good morning sleepyhead. Well, it's about to be noon in a couple of minutes. The others and I decided to go out and buy some things for our trip! Wanna tag along?"

The one who woke me up was Zed. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a symbol of a band I don't recognize and light blue jeans. His white converse seemed new, not a speck of dirt was on it. His wrist was decorated with a silver watch that reflected the sun and a ring around the middle finger of his left hand. He did look like he was going somewhere.

"Heh, aren't you tired, Zed? The underworld and gym class from yesterday should've made you unable to move for, like, a day." I joked, still not adjusting properly to being woken up.

"I'm a captain of the elites for two years, Matthew. This kind of stuff doesn't have much of an effect on me. At least not anymore." He shrugged. When he did this, I failed to notice the pain that flashed in his eyes.

I hummed. I couldn't relate because I've only been an elite for a month. 

"Well, thanks for the invite, but I want to stay inside today."

"Suit yourself! Bye!" He descended the stairs, leaving me all alone.

I plopped on my bed once more. The sheets and pillows weren't cold anymore. Curse that sun.

I sighed. My eyes were fully open now and no trace of drowsiness could be found in them.

I rolled unto my back and stared at the ceiling. 'Should I have gone with them?'

My stomach growled as soon as I thought it would have been a good idea to eat lunch outside. I'll just have to see what's in the fridge.

I went inside my bathroom first to shower. Next, I changed out of my sleeping attire to a simple gray track pants and a black shirt. Making my way to the living room, I found the mansion empty.

'Did everyone go out?'

Arriving at the kitchen, I saw the take-out Samantha had brought for me. At this, my heart stung. I was a jerk to her yesterday. How could I make it up to her?

I was so deep inside my head that I felt someone hit their head on my chest when I walked over to the dining room. Looking down, blue eyes and black hair were all I could see. Plus a scowl.

"Watch where you're going, Martinez. Tch, are you still asleep?"

Ladies and gentlemen, Ashley Carter is here, gracing us in her denim pants and white button-up blouse.

"Sorry about that." I scratched my neck in embarrassment and backed up. I took note of her outfit and asked. "You're going somewhere else too?"

"Correct. I'll be retrieving something from my house. It has something to do with that tattoo of yours."

"It's not a tattoo."

"Ah, right. Whatever. If I come back late, tell the others I had an important errand."

"Late? Why?"

"Last time I saw that drawing, it was in our library. My dad sometimes cleans and rearranges the books. And trust me, we have more than a thousand of those in our place."

Knowing Ashley, she wasn't exaggerating about this. I felt bad that even though it wasn't her problem and she could ignore my suffering, she still chose to assist me.

"How about I help?" I offered. "You shouldn't push yourself so hard because of me."

The blue-eyed girl thought about it. After a few seconds, she sighed. "I doubt we'll be any faster with you there but... Two is better than one."

With her comment, it was like a knife had been plunged into my chest. Regardless, I was glad she agreed.

I tried to eat quickly to not keep her waiting - I almost choked as a result. Witnessing this, Ashley told me to take it easy and to see her outside when I'm ready. Once I finished eating my lunch, I headed upstairs. I just threw on a jacket over my clothes. Tying my shoelaces, I jogged towards the front door and saw the black-haired girl beside the gates. She was squatting down and clicking her tongue repeatedly.

I walked closer to inspect what was going on. I gasped loudly when a stray, gray cat was rubbing her head on Ashley's hand.

"It's so tiny!" I got down to its level and reached out to pet it. The cat was more than happy to be touched, it started purring.

"I wonder where its mother is..." Ashley mumbled. "This kitten's likely less a month old. It should not be separated from its mom so early."

I scanned around for any sign of an adult cat. No luck.

"It's probably lost." Said Ashley in a tone of concern. "I'm sure its mother shouldn't be too far..."

Ashley picked the kitten up and was about to start searching when suddenly, a car slowed down to a stop in front of us. The car door opened up and out stepped a man in a suit.

"Good afternoon, Miss Ashley. I am here to pick you up as you requested."

The man looked at me and raised a brow. I couldn't blame him - I would do the same if I saw someone gawking at me.

'Woah, they have a driver? I knew they were wealthy but dang.'

"Oh, yes, right." The girl mumbled. She glanced at the cat, me, and the driver. 

"Should we take it to the shelter first?"

Ashley's head darted to the side, clearly hesitant to do my suggestion. "What if it doesn't get adopted?"

"Hm, then..." I studied the girl up and down, observing how she held the cat so close to her as if it was a fragile thing.

"Why don't you adopt it?"

Ashley's eyes lit up. "C-Can I?"

I blinked twice. "It's your decision."

Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she stuttered. "Oh, y-yeah. It's up to me."

She then turned to the driver. "Let us get going."

And that's how we ended up in the car with a purring cat on Ashley's lap.

I was looking out through the window in boredom. When my gaze traveled to the blue-eyed girl, I thought I was seeing another person.

The serious expression that Ashley always wore melted into something gentle. She had a smile on her face that reached her eyes as she stared down at the animal. Noticing this, I remembered what Zed said.

'Is this what he meant when I used a cat as an excuse?'

Ashley noticed me looking at her and quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking how much you like cats."

When her eye twitched, I straightened in my seat. "T-There's nothing wrong with that, of course."

She sighed and leaned back, leaving the cat to rest. "I prefer cats over any other animals that can be a pet. Sure, dogs are nice too, though, their energy's too much for me. Cats are more laid-back."

I nodded as I listened to her reasoning. Today, I learned something new about Ashley, and I couldn't help but smile. It was a nice feeling getting to know someone who was sometimes... Misunderstood. Underneath that tough exterior, there's a soft spot that's in hiding. The thing was, no one bothered to look for it or waited until it showed itself.

We finally arrived at Ashley's house. I gotta say, it was a lot like the mansion. The difference was, it's slightly smaller in size.

The driver opened the doors for us and we got out.

There were bushes, flowers, and a fountain on the lawn. There's also a pathway that leads to the front door of the mansion and the other one to the garage. I watched as the car drove away, the revving of the engine fading in the distance.

Ashley started to walk towards the house and I followed after her.

She whirled around and tilted her head towards the door. "Open it."

I was confused. Then, I saw the cat comfortable in her arms. "Oh."

I did as I was told, and I gasped in awe.

Her house was... To put it into simple words...

It was breathtaking.